Photographers

PHOTOGRAPHERS

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Photographers

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Aapo Huhta

AAPO HUHTA

Aapo Huhta

AAPO HUHTA

BACKYARD

Backyard is a location based photographic essay on the place that I was born. After a strong urge to move out of the area called Östrobothnia, in the middle of Finland years ago, I found a new curiosity for the area, its people and its peculiar existence. The place of my past had turned strange - or I had turned into a stranger.

Southern Finland reaches out into the global world, seeks to renew itself and to react to the changes around it. In the north, however, the country seems to hold on to its own dreamy, untouched reality and continues stubbornly on its introverted tracks. The outside world is shunned and a good life is an unquestioning one. In there the old virtues of honour and respectability seem to emerge as suppressed expression and melancholy. The ambience of Östrobothnia reflects an inner landscape of my father’s post-war generation.

I have made several trips there, to photograph things and people that I find intriguing. I have combined both purely observational and more organised imagery in order to portray my once deep connection to the place I used to call home.

Aapo Huhta (b. 1985) is a Helsinki based photographer. He holds a BA in photography from the Lahti Institute of Design and Fine Arts and is currently finishing his Master’s degree in photography at the Aalto University of Arts and Design, Helsinki Finland. Huhta works for editorial magazines and makes his personal documentary based essay projects. He received the award of the Finnish Young Photo Journalist of the Year 2011. In 2014 Huhta was selected as one of the Top 30 Under 30 photographers by Magnum Photos. His work has been published for example in Vice, Lens Culture, PDN, Red Cross Publications, Raymond, Photo Raw, HBL, Suomen Kuvalehti, Image and Helsingin Sanomat.

Touko Hujanen

TOUKO HUJANEN

Touko Hujanen

TOUKO HUJANEN

Touko Hujanen (b.1986, MSSc) is a photojournalist based in Helsinki. Hi is specialised in classic photo reportage. His clients include The New York Times and Raymond. He is the chairman for the Finnish Yksitoista collective and publisher of Uuden Maan Sanomat newspaper. He has won multiple awards in press photography and media consept design, including press photographer of the year and young press photographer of the year in Finland.

Uuden Maan Sanomat

Uuden Maan Sanomat is Touko Hujanen´s conceptual local newspaper. In 2014 Hujanen traveled to his home city and the area surrounding it. He found a sword in stone from Sotunki, wasteland of Kera and one old lady in Inkoo.

Kaisu Jouppi

Kaisu Jouppi

EMPTY ARMS

I have sometimes wondered how does it feel when you loose your child, and would grief be different depending on the age of the child. When I was pregnant, I read about stillbirth in a magazine. I was deeply shocked when I realized that a fulltime baby may die, and you would have to give a vaginal birth. The mere thought was horrifying: how does anyone survive such a dreadful experience?

As I learned more about stillbirths, I noticed that this was an unaddressed topic, even though approximately 200 babies die in the womb yearly. I decided to give voice to those who have experienced such grief that other people may not understand. I wanted to hear about the first reactions, how the birth went, how other people reacted and how the trauma had affected the mother’s psyche. And how do you continue living after stillbirth? How do you mourn someone who never lived outside your womb?

During three years I listened to over forty stories about giving birth to a stillborn child. Some of the women had given birth to twins and some had given birth to a stillborn child twice – one after another. Some lost their first born, some their youngest child. In the midst of the project I understood that each story is completely different. In some cases placental problems were the cause of death, in others umbilical cord was entangled. In some cases the cause of death was unknown. One of the mothers cried out loud, the other cried secretly. Some stillborn babies were buried in a big funeral; some parents said farewells to their baby alone. Different experience, different story, yet the end is the same: empty arms.

Empty arms – photo series will be published as a book in September 1st, 2015. The book consists of eleven longer stories and quotes from interviews, such as: I see my husband’s face when our child is taken away, and I feel how our whole world crumbles down.

Kaisu Jouppi (b.1985) is a photographer from Järvenpää. Her photography includes photos around Finland and abroad. Ms Jouppi’s photography assignments vary from shots for the biggest Finnish magazines to photos for small companies. Her photos can be seen in the following Finnish magazines: Kotivinkki, Image and Uhana Design Lookbook. Ms Jouppi takes photographs of practically anything: food, interior design, portraits, photos for feature stories and tourism, as well as photos of products. In addition, she works on longer projects with a significant subject. After her exhibition on young women’s depression and loneliness of widows, she has taken on a project in which she has photographed women who have experienced stillbirth.

Ms Jouppi has won the category for Photo Essay of the Year in the Finnish Press Photos Of The Year contest in 2013. Moreover, she has been acknowledged in various journal competitions, such as Edit and ProCom.

Sami Kilpiö

SAMI KILPIÖ

Sami Kilpiö

SAMI KILPIÖ

ALWAYS TOUGH BUT NEVER GOOD

Documentary photo series of Salo (town in South-West Finland) portrays the financial breakdown of the richest town in Finland within just a few years. The hype of mobile technology delivered massive tax revenue to the town with 50 000 inhabitants during two decades. Closing down the Nokia mobile phone business reclaimed the town back to its own league in the 2010’s when jobs and tax revenue disappeared.

The larger story behind the photo series of Salo portrays the structural change of Finland.How does a town look like when a factory is closed down and employees made redundant? When money no longer goes round, city center becomes desolate and people start moving away. When houses don’t sell. When violence increases. And when the former mobile phone factory houses a sex fair. The series seen in the exhibition is a fragment of Kilpiö’s documentary photo book, which will be published in winter 2015.

Sami Kilpiö (b. 1985) is photographer and photojournalist from Salo. He takes photographs of wide variety of subjects for various purposes: anything from portraits to photos for feature stories. Kilpiö works for the biggest Finnish and European magazines.

Meeri Koutaniemi

Meeri Koutaniemi

MEERI KOUTANIEMI

RE-CUSTOMIZED;DECOLONIZED

“Wearing the enemy’s uniform will diminish their power and transfer some of their strength to the new wearer.” - Anthropologist Dr Lutz Marten

The Herero people are an ethnic group that inhabits Southern Africa, mainly Namibia. In the early 20th century german colonists started a brutal war against the indigenous Herero and Nama people who had been resisting the gradual seizing of their land. Over 65 000 Hereros were taken to concentration camps and their land and livestock stolen. Almost 80 percent of the Herero population was killed.

The history has not only remained in the memory of the later generations, but also in the clothes and appearance of the tribe. Hereros’ clothes reveal an intriguing contradiction. Despite the brutal history, the Herero appreciate the style of the imperialists. Women have taken influence from the Christian missionaries and their victorian dresses. The men have borrowed the uniforms of the dead german soldiers.

Soldier uniforms and Victorian dresses are used daily among the unique community of the Hereros. Over the decades the Hereros have decolonized themselves by re-customizing their style. The traditional Herero dress inherited from the Germans is decorated with tribal accessories, such as cow horn headdresses. Today the Hereros carry in their clothing the weight of the history with dignity and pride and celebrate the survival of their culture.

Photo from the Herero project won the Portrait of the Year 2011 in Finland. The project has been made in co-operation with the journalist Elisa Rimaila and it has been exhibited in Finland, Denmark, United States and India.

Meeri Koutaniemi, 27, a Finnish photographer and journalist, was born in Lapland and lives currently in Helsinki. Koutaniemi's work extends to over 40 countries where she has photographed and documented people with stories of struggle and resilience. Her work stems from the question and definition of identity. Koutaniemi has focused on humanitarian side of conflicts, displacement and discrimination. At the core of her work lies a universal ability for empowerment and resistance. In 2012 and 2013 Koutaniemi was selected as the Photographer of the Year in Finland. In 2012 Koutaniemi received the Memorial Award of Tim Hetherington in United States and the Memorial Award of Carina Appel in Finland 2013.

Koutaniemi has exhibited her photos in over 50 exhibitions around the world. Her first book Oasis was published in Finland in 2013. In 2014 Koutaniemi won the Visa D'or Daily Press Award in Perpignan and FreeLens Award in Lumix Photofestival in Hannover with her photo essay on female genital mutilation. Koutaniemi was selected to participate to Joop Swart and VII Masterclass in 2014.

Koutaniemi is a founder member of an Italian Photo Agency Echo and Finnish Collective 11.

Niklas Meltio

NIKLAS MELTIO

Niklas Meltio

NIKLAS MELTIO

BATTLE OF SINJAR

It is January 2015 and the Kurdish co-operation of Peshmerga, PKK and all it’s sub fractions have been holding the lines for three weeks now in Sinjar. On August 3rd 2014 ISIS took over the Yezidi town Sinjar. It was a massacre, many fled to the mountains and many, especially women, was kidnapped and held as prisoners, sold as sex slaves or killed. It is likely that many of them still are in Sinjar. On December 18th the Kurdish forces began pushing into Sinjar where they now fight the ISIS.

Niklas Meltio (b. 1979) is a Finland based photojournalist. He has been in the industry since 2013. He has been covering conflicts in various parts of the world. During the past four years he has been covering the wave of conflicts in the Middle East. Libya, Syria, Eqypt, and Iraq producing photoessays and documentaries from the front lines. Niklas is a Canon Explorer and represented by Corbis Images.

“At least you can’t say you didn’t know”

Karoliina Paatos

KAROLIINA PAATOS

Karoliina Paatos

KAROLIINA PAATOS

Rodeo Queer

Five years ago I reached the point when I had to satisfy my curiosity about whether the cowboy culture of the American West still exists. I took nothing for granted and went to explore. On my ventures I found the counterculture of gay rodeo. Still marginal and little known even among the gay community it contradicts the prevailing idea of the cowboy, which does not include different roles or sexual identities.

Romance and harshness is branded in the visual image of a cowboy. I seek sensibility and vulnerability in my macho figures. All that is happening around the edges and behind the chutes is of interest to me. Presence and quietness are the key elements even among the carnevalistic side of the drag culture that is an essential part of these rodeos.

Karoliina Paatos (b. 1979) is Helsinki based photographer and has worked for the biggest newspapers and magazines in Finland for the past ten years along her personal long-term projects. She has had several solo and group shows. She has studied in Aalto University’s graduate program in Photography and Documentary Film and in the University of Arizona. Paatos won in PDN’s Student Category in 2015.

Miikka Pirinen

MIIKKA PIRINEN

Miikka Pirinen

MIIKKA PIRINEN

The Rare! !

Rare diseases and disabilities are often complex and very different in the severity and occurrence. They can be hereditary diseases, a variety of syndromes, progressive, debilitating or life threatening. There are an estimated 6000 to 8000 different rare diseases in Finland. A disease is considered rare, in Finland, when there are a maximum of 2,700 people suffering from it.

Rarity of a disease comes with challenges of disease identification, treatment, rehabilitation. The less common the disease, and the smaller the disability group, the more challenging it becomesto find expert knowledge or empirical peer support.

This is a glance in the life of the rare in Finland.

Miikka Pirinen, b.1985, is a professional photographer based in Helsinki Finland.

Works freelance as a photojournalist and with commercial assignments.

His personal reportages have dealt with North American cage fighting children, Finnish rare diseases and rehabilitation of the mentally unstable in Helsinki. Currently working on the issue of identity among children and youth. The ways young people are trying to form an identity for themselves.

In 2015 Pirinen was shortlisted for the prestigious Magnum 30 under 30 prize and has been awarded three times in the Finnish Press Photos Of The Year contest.He’s work has been published and exhibited in China, Finland, France, Poland, Portugal and the U.S. Assigned/Published by such medias as The Time Light Box, Helsingin Sanomat, Image, Getty Images, SIPA Press…

Maija Tammi

MAIJA TAMMI

Maija Tammi

MAIJA TAMMI

Leftover (2014)

Photographs and a sculpture of used radiotherapy masks collected from three hospitals, scrutinize the fear of sickness – both defined and undefined. The masks hold traces of the people who wore them. They smell of fear. The series begins with realism and ends in dystopia.The series was awarded at PDN’s Faces competition in 2015. Leftover is a sister series to Removals, and the book Leftover/Removals was published in 2014 by Kehrer Verlag.

Maija Tammi (b. 1985) is an artist and photographer. Tammi’s photographs and sculptures converse on topics around disgust and fascination, science and aesthetic. Tammi’s works have been exhibited in Finland, France, Croatia, England, Japan and the United States. She received the Fotofinlandia Award in 2011. This year she won PDN’s The Curator award with her series Milky Way.

Tammi has worked as a photojournalist for several newspapers and magazines in Finland and abroad since 2009. In 2011 she won Finland’s Press Photographer of the Year 2010 award. Tammi is a member of a Finnish documentary photography collective 11.

Tammi is currently working on her practice-based doctoral thesis at Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture in Helsinki, Finland.

Esa Ylijääskö

ESA YLIJÄÄSKÖ

Esa Ylijääskö

ESA YLIJÄÄSKÖ

In November 2013, a Syrian Kurdish refugee community found a new home a thousand miles from the horrors of the civil war.They settled into ruined houses, abandoned by original inhabitants years ago, in the historical Ottoman district around the Süleymaniye Mosque atop the Istanbul’s Third Hill.

With limited language skills and missing official refugee documents, it’s hard, almost impossible, to apply for work. Men spend days hanging around, drinking tea, watching TV and smoking. Woman do laundry, cook and take care of the youngest children while older kids play or beg on the streets. As they speak only Kurdish, they can’t attend to a Turkish school.

Kindhearted locals bring food and clothes to refugees, helping them to survive. But life stands still. A TV in the corner of a small room and calls from relatives left still in Syria, tell a hopeless story of the war.

Esa Ylijaasko (1989) is a Finnish photographer originally from a small Northern town of Keminmaa, Finland. He graduated from Jyväskylä College of Arts in 2010. After working for newspapers in Finland and Chile, and doing own projects in Russia and Spain, Esa has concentrated (since 2013) on a personal long-term, in-depth documentary project of the Syrian civil war by following victims of the conflict. Esa is part of Raw View Magazine’s Mentor Program. His work has been published in The New York Times and Vice Magazine. Esa was named one of the Vice Magazine’s Top Photos of 2014. He has been awarded as a winner of Magnum Photos Showcase in November 2012. Esa’s work has been exhibited in Ratamo Galleria (Finland 2013), Canvas Festival (Finland 2014) and International Short Film Festival photography exhibition Tran.s.cend in Istanbul (Turkey 2015).